The Mansion

Chapter 11

Darkness.

Darkness wrapped around me as I felt myself falling into a black void of nothingness. I felt nothing and I see nothing. All I felt was the emptiness in my chest. My body was as light as a feather and felt myself tumbling down at a speed no human could survive. But here I am, alive and breathing. How can I still survive? Then, a realization struck me.

What if I’m dead?

Just as I thought about it, I stopped dropping and sensed myself hanging in mid air. I looked around desperately for any sign of life but it was useless. It was as if a dark blanket had overwhelmed my vision. Questions immediately formed in my head.

Where am I? Why am I here? Am I dead?

Feeling foolish, I spoke:

“Is anyone there?”

My voice bounced off in every direction, forming ominous echoes. Other than the only existing sound of my voice, silence replied to me. Slumping to my knees, I waited and waited with a false hope of a miracle to occur. Finally, I got impatient so I stood up and started wandering aimlessly.

“Hello?” I called out again only to be replied by echoes. “Am I dead?” I whispered to myself.

Suddenly, there was a tingling sensation on the back of my neck. Alarmed, I jumped back to see the darkness melting into another scene. I closed my eyes at the sudden sight of a light. A familiar raspy voice boomed:

“Dear, it’s too early for that,”

I jolted in surprise as goosebumps formed on my skin. I recognized that voice.

“You,” I said, mustering up all my strength. “I know you,”

The scene dissolved into a murky room lit by a single flickering candle. The candle did poor job lighting up the room because the nooks of the dusty room were still engulfed by the darkness. Cobwebs glittered in the dark. Thick layers of dust floated around my feet. The decaying floorboards beneath my feet creaked in protest.

“Of course you know me, dear,” she replied ominously, sending chills down my spine.

A shadow lingered near the dark corner, rocking back and forth.

“You’re that cloaked woman who haunted me,” I replied, my voice came out braver than I felt.

“I’ve been waiting for a long, long time for you, but you escaped. How disappointing,”

I shuddered at her tone of voice. Her voice alone told me I was in great trouble.

“Had you not escaped, I would have spared your father,” she threatened.

Anger boiled inside of me.

“What did you do to my father?!” I demanded.

There was a sinister chuckle from the corner as the creaking increased.

“I simply punished him for having a daughter like you,” she smiled. “And look what you got him into,”

A wrinkled hand shot out from the darkness and pointed towards the other side of the room. I gasped in horror at the sight of two figures huddled in the corner-- head slumping forward and bodies lifeless like a corpse. My father and Amara were lying motionlessly near the wall. A scream crept to my lips but not a single sound escaped. My body was trembling—trembling with fear and rage. As much as I wanted to run to them, I was rooted at the spot. All I could do was watch their unmoving figures.

The bodiless figure gave out an eerie snicker as she saw my state.There was a shuffling sound and a hideous face emerged from the darkness. I gasped in fright.